BUSINESS
THE MESA TRIBUNE | AUGUST 8, 2021
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Customer solves Mesa restaurant’s labor woes
BY MELODY BIRKETT Tribune Contributor
L
ike many restaurants, Il Vinaio in downtown Mesa was struggling to �ind and keep workers during an unprecedented labor shortage. But it didn’t have to look too far to �ind help. Owners Cindy and Cameron Selogie hired a longtime customer to be a waitress. The new hire, Sally Kellett has been an Il Vinaio patron since she joined its wine club nine years ago. “I happened to be at the restaurant doing my wine tasting and Cindy was saying how it’s impossible to get help with the unemployment bene�its being so high,” said Kellett. “They just can’t seem to get anybody. I almost jokingly said, ‘I could probably help you a couple of days a week.’ I now have been there a little over a month.” Kellett is no stranger to waiting on customers.
Il Vinaio owners Cindy and Cameron Selogie flank their latest hire – longtime customer Sally Kellett, who now works as a waitress. (Pablo Robles/Tribune Staff Photographer) For years, she owned a Tempe bar, Mustang Sally’s, that she eventually sold when she decided to become a �light attendant
Critters for sale abound in East Mesa pet store BY MELODY BIRKETT Tribune Contributor
V
anessa Schmidt likes to say her Mesa store offers “a little bit of everything.” And by that she means lizards, snakes, tortoises, monitors, frogs, geckos, birds, �ish, guinea pigs, rabbits, hamsters, gerbils and pet rats – as well as some places they can live in people’s homes. She estimates she has 5,000 varieties of critters, including �ish, at her 4,000-square-foot The Pet Shop near Power and Baseline, which she has owned for nine years. “We have 130 individual freshwater �ish tanks, making up 4,000 gallons and we also have 4,000 gallons worth of saltwater
�ish and corals,” Schmidt said. “Freshwater �ish alone we have 130 tanks with at least three species per tank so that’s 360 different freshwater �ish there alone.” The cost of owning an aquarium varies, she added, so “we’ll walk you through the process.” “If there’s a �ish you want or if it’s a certain size tank you want, we’ll gear you towards that and if you have a budget in mind.” “The way we have our rows set up, it shows you which �ish will get along with each other,” Schmidt said. “But if you tell us what you already have in your tank, we’re also happy to tell you what �ish get along, how many more �ish you can com-
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at the age of 47 with America West Airlines. She retired last year after 21 years with the airline.
For the Selogies, it’s a win-win. They’ve been short-handed, not only needing more wait staff but a prep cook and a dishwasher. Cameron has been doing those jobs for over a year while Cindy has been the bartender and running the front of the restaurant. “Adding Sally to the team has been invaluable,” said Cameron. “Our customers love her. The best thing for us is that she comes to work as scheduled, on time, and ready to work with a smile on her face. She’s de�initely a joy to work with and a great addition to the team.” The challenging part for Kellett is that il Vinaio is a �ine-dining restaurant. “I struggled in the beginning and they were very patient with me,” explained Kellett. “The biggest part was the computer stuff because I’m not a computer person.” She said the restaurant industry has “changed tremendously” since she last took customer orders for a living. “When I owned my bar, it was a big bar,”
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Vanessa Schmidt has “a little bit of everything” at The Pet Shop in east Mesa. (Melody Birkett/Tribune Contributor)
